Covert infrared monitoring and recording of images and video in controlled-environment facilities

ABSTRACT

An infrared image and/or a video of one or more residents of a controlled-environment facility is captured using an imaging device of a controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device disposed within the controlled-environment facility when the device is not being used in a communication session. The imaging device of the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or media device is capable of operation with an infrared light source. The infrared image or video may be stored and/or presented to an entity associated with the controlled-environment facility, such as personnel of the facility, a facility administration system, etc. Capturing the image may include turning on at least one infrared light source on the device and/or turning off any indication that the capturing is taking place. The device may be located in a resident sleeping area and a bed check may be performed by the entity or device, using the infrared image.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of, and claims benefit of, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/788,220 filed on Jun. 30, 2015 and also entitled“Covert Infrared Monitoring and Recording of Images and Video inControlled-Environment Facilities,” which issued as U.S. Pat. No.9,472,071 on Oct. 18, 2016, and which is herein incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This specification relates generally to controlled-environmentfacilities, and, more particularly, to systems and methods for covertlymonitoring and/or recording images and/or video incontrolled-environment facilities using infrared imaging by intelligentcontrolled-environment facility resident communications and/or mediadevices.

BACKGROUND

According to the International Centre for Prison Studies, the UnitedStates has the highest prison population per capita in the world. In2009, for example, 1 out of every 135 U.S. residents was incarcerated.Generally, inmates convicted of felony offenses serve long sentences inprison (e.g., federal or state prisons), whereas those convicted ofmisdemeanors receive shorter sentences to be served in jail (e.g.,county jail). In either case, while awaiting trial, a suspect or accusedmay remain incarcerated. During his or her incarceration, an inmate mayhave opportunities to communicate with the outside world.

By allowing prisoners to have some contact with friends and family whileincarcerated, the justice system aims to facilitate their transitionback into society upon release. Traditional forms of contact includetelephone calls, in-person visitation, conjugal visits, etc. Morerecently, technological advances have allowed jails and prisons toprovide other types of visitation, including videoconferences and onlinechat sessions.

To enable these various types of communications, a jail or prison mayinstall communication devices in different parts of the facility. Suchcommunication devices are generally used to enable inmatecommunications. For example, at the time of a scheduled visitation, anofficer may physically move the inmate from his or her cell or to acommunication device or station in a designated area within thecorrectional facility, where he or she may be able to conduct a remotevisitation with friends, family, acquaintances, etc. When thecommunication is over, the officer may then escort the inmate back tohis or her cell.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to systems and methods which capturean image and/or a video of one or more residents of acontrolled-environment facility using an imaging device capable ofoperation with an infrared light source. The imaging device being partof a controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice disposed within the controlled-environment facility when thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice is not being used in any communication session during at least aportion of the capturing. The controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device may be a video visitation device,personal resident communications and/or media device, or the like. Atleast one infrared light source on the controlled-environment facilityresident communication and/or media device may be turned on forcapturing the image and/or video using the imaging device. Thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice might include a recording indicator, and in such case therecording indicator may be turned off so it does not provide anyindication that the capturing is taking place. Additionally oralternatively, the controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device may include an electronic display andthe electronic display preferably does not provide any visual indicationthat the capturing is taking place. The controlled-environment facilitymay be a correctional facility and these resident(s) may be inmates. Insuch embodiments, the controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device may be located in a pod or cell withinthe correctional facility.

The captured infrared image or a video may be stored and/or presentedfor review by an entity associated with the controlled-environmentfacility. In various embodiments, such as where thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice is located in a resident sleeping area or unit of the controlledenvironment facility, a bed check may be performed, such as by thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice itself, and/or by an entity associated with thecontrolled-environment facility using the presented or stored image. Forexample, a bed check may be performed by the controlled-environmentfacility resident communication and/or media device, confirming presenceof a number of expected heat signatures indicative of an expected numberof residents in beds in the sleeping area or unit and an alert may beissued to the entity associated with the controlled-environment facilityif the expected number of residents are not present. The entityassociated with the controlled-environment facility may be personnel ofthe facility, a facility administration system, etc.

In various embodiments, one or more of the techniques described hereinmay be performed by one or more computer systems. In other variousembodiments, a tangible computer-readable storage medium may haveprogram instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by one or morecomputer systems, cause the one or more computer systems to execute oneor more operations disclosed herein. In yet other various embodiments,one or more systems may each include at least one processor and memorycoupled to the processor(s), wherein the memory is configured to storeprogram instructions executable by the processor(s) to cause thesystem(s) to execute one or more operations disclosed herein.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the invention will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. Itshould be appreciated that the conception and specific embodimentdisclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designingother structures for carrying out the same purposes of the presentinvention. It should also be realized that such equivalent constructionsdo not depart from the invention as set forth in the appended claims.The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of theinvention, both as to its organization and method of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages will be better understood from thefollowing description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, thateach of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and is not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of an environment whereintelligent controlled-environment facility resident communicationsand/or media devices may be deployed, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an example of a intelligentfacility communication and/or media device, according to someembodiments;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of an example intelligent residentcommunication and/or media device, according to some embodiments of thepresent systems and methods;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example of communication devicesoftware, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example implementation for covert infraredmonitoring and recording of images and video in controlled-environmentfacilities, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example implementation for performing(covert) bed checks using infrared monitoring and/or recording of imagesand video in controlled-environment facilities, according to someembodiments; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example of a computer system configuredto implement various systems and methods described herein according tosome embodiments.

While this specification provides several embodiments and illustrativedrawings, a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that thepresent specification is not limited only to the embodiments or drawingsdescribed. It should be understood that the drawings and detaileddescription are not intended to limit the specification to theparticular form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within thespirit and scope of the claims. Also, any headings used herein are fororganizational purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe description. As used herein, the word “may” is meant to convey apermissive sense (i.e., meaning “having the potential to”), rather thana mandatory sense (i.e., meaning “must”). Similarly, the words“include,” “including,” and “includes” mean “including, but not limitedto.”

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Oneskilled in the art may be able to use the various embodiments of theinvention.

For example, various types of controlled-environment facilities arepresent in today's society, and persons may be voluntary or involuntaryresidents of such facilities, whether temporarily or permanently.Examples of controlled-environment facilities may include correctionalinstitutions (e.g., municipal jails, county jails, state prisons,federal prisons, military stockades, juvenile facilities, detentioncamps, home incarceration environments, etc.), healthcare facilities(e.g., hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities,rehabilitation facilities, such as drug and alcohol rehabilitationfacilities, etc.), restricted living quarters (e.g., hotels, resorts,camps, dormitories, barracks, etc.), and the like. For convenience ofexplanation, various examples discussed herein are presented in thecontext of correctional facilities, or the like. For instance, in someof the embodiments discussed below, a controlled-environment facilitymay be referred to as a correctional facility, jail or prison, and itsresidents may be referred to as inmates, arrestees, or detainees. Itshould be understood, however, that the systems and methods describedherein may be similarly applicable to other types ofcontrolled-environment facilities and their respective residents (e.g.,a hospital and its patients, a school dormitory and its students, etc.).

The inventors hereof have recognized that correctional facilitiespresent numerous difficulties in areas such as security, surveillance,financial transactions, communications, visitation, investigation,budgetary, etc.; which in turn make technological implementationsuniquely challenging in those environments. In many cases, technologiesthat are used outside of correctional facilities are not immediatelyapplicable to the correctional environment without significant changesand modifications. Moreover, correctional facilities may have specificneeds that are not particularly relevant outside of those environments.As such, some of the systems and methods described herein may bespecifically tailored to address one or more of the aforementioned needsand challenges.

This specification relates generally to such controlled-environmentfacilities, disclosing systems and methods for covertly monitoringand/or recording of images and/or video in controlled-environmentfacilities. More particularly, systems and methods disclosed hereincovertly monitor and/or record images and/or video incontrolled-environment facilities using infrared imaging by intelligentcontrolled-environment facility resident communications and/or mediadevices. Such an intelligent controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and media device may be an Intelligent Facility Device(IFD) (e.g. a video phone particularly adapted for use in acontrolled-environment facility) or an Intelligent Resident Device (IRD)(e.g. a personal wireless devices, such as a tablet computing device orsmartphone, which may be adapted and/or approved for use incontrolled-environment facility), described in greater detail below.Regardless, IFDs, IRDs, or the like, may be generally referred to hereinas controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevices, or the like, in that they are devices that residents of acontrolled-environment facility may use for communication, such as withnon-residents, and/or for accessing media.

In accordance with such embodiments of the present systems and methods,an image and/or a video of one or more residents of acontrolled-environment facility is captured using an imaging devicecapable of operation with an infrared light source. The imagining devicebeing part of a controlled-environment facility resident communicationand/or media device disposed within the controlled-environment facility,when the device is not being used in a communication session. Theinfrared image or video may be stored and/or presented to an entityassociated with the controlled-environment facility, such as personnelof the facility, a facility administration system, etc. Capturing theimage may include turning on at least one infrared light source on thedevice and/or turning off any indication that the capturing is takingplace. The device may also be located in a resident sleeping area and abed check may be performed by the entity or device, using the infraredimage.

The present systems and methods provide covert infrared visualmonitoring utilizing IFDs and/or IRDs. IFDs may utilize visible subjectlighting during communications or when the subject is otherwise awarethe device is capturing the resident's image, so the monitoredsubject(s) are generally aware that visual monitoring is taking place.In a “sleeping area or unit” environment, visible subject lighting maybe intrusive or disruptive. In accordance with embodiments of thepresent systems and methods, an infrared light source, or the like, suchas infrared LEDs may be employed in conjunction with infrared sensitiveIFD and/or IRD cameras, such as by adding the infrared light source tothe subject lighting of an IFD and/or IRD. In combination with asolid-state camera typically found in such IFDs and/or IRDs, which mayauto adjust to employ infrared light, addition of (an) infrared lightsource(s), enables covert surveillance of controlled-environmentfacility residents, in a dark (e.g. nighttime) environment. This enablescovert monitoring of an area where an IFD and/or IRD is installed orpresent. Thus, in accordance with various embodiments of the presentsystems and methods, when an IFD is installed, or an IRD is situated, ina resident sleeping area (e.g. in an inmate cell in correctionenvironments) covert or non-intrusive automated “bed checks” may befacilitated. The microphone on a receiver handset of an IFD and/or themicrophone of an IRD could also be utilized to add covert audiomonitoring.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of an illustrative environmentwhere a visitation system may be employed is depicted according to someembodiments. As shown, communication processing system 101 may providetelephone services, videoconferencing, online chat, and othercommunication services to a controlled-environment facility. Forexample, in some cases, communication system 101 may be co-located witha controlled-environment facility. Alternatively, communication system101 may be centrally or remotely located with respect to one or morecontrolled-environment facilities and/or may provide communicationservices to multiple controlled-environment facilities. More generally,however, it should be noted that communication system 101 may assume avariety of forms, and may be configured to serve a variety of facilitiesand/or users, whether within or outside of a controlled-environmentfacility.

In the context of a correctional facility, for instance, inmates may usetelephones 102 to access certain communication services. In somefacilities, inmates may also use a video visitation device 103 or apersonal computer wireless device, such as a tablet computing device orsmartphone 104 to access such services. For example, an inmate mayinitiate telephone services by lifting the receiver on telephone 102, atwhich time the inmate may be prompted to provide a personalidentification number (PIN), other identifying information orbiometrics. An interactive voice response (IVR) unit (not shown) maygenerate and play prompt or other messages to inmates on devices 102,103 and/or 104. Intelligent controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and media devices employed in accordance with the presentsystems and methods may include a video visitation device 103, referredto herein as an Intelligent Facility Device (IFD) (e.g. a video phoneparticularly adapted for use in a controlled-environment facility) orpersonal computer wireless device 104, referred to herein as anIntelligent Resident Device (IRD) (e.g. a personal wireless device, suchas a tablet computing device or smartphone, which may be adapted and/orapproved for use in controlled-environment facility), described ingreater detail below. Such a device may be referred to as an IntelligentInmate Device (IID) in a correctional institution environment, and/or anIntelligent Resident Device (IRD), or the like, incontrolled-environment facilities, in general. Regardless, as noted,IFDs, IIDs, IRDs, etc. may be generally referred to herein ascontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevices, or the like, in that they are devices that residents of acontrolled-environment facility may use for communication, such as withnon-residents, and/or for accessing media.

Under control of communication processing system 101, devices 102through 104 may be capable of connecting to a non-resident's (i.e., aperson not committed to a controlled-environment facility) telephone 106or device 105 across a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN) 107.For example, telephone 106 may be located at a non-resident's home,inmate visitation center, etc. Switch 108 in communication processingsystem 101 may be used to connect calls across PSTN 107. Additionally oralternatively, the non-resident may be at telephone 109 or device 112,which is on an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Voice-over-IP(VoIP), or packet data network 110, such as, for example the Internet.Router 111 of communication system 101 is used to route data packetsassociated with a call connection to destination telephone 109.

Video visitation devices 103 a-n (each collectively referred to as “IFD103”) are communication devices with video conferencing and/ormultimedia capabilities to enable inmates to participate in voice calls,video visitation sessions with non-residents of the correctionalfacility, secure online chat, Internet access, etc. For example, anon-resident party may have a personal or laptop computer 113 withcamera 114 (or a cell phone, tablet computer, etc.). A networkconnection between the parties may be established and supported by anorganization or commercial service that provides computer services andsoftware for use in telecommunications and/or VOIP, such as SKYPE®.Additionally or alternatively, the correctional facility and/or thedestination may use videoconferencing equipment compatible with ITUH.323, H.320, H.264, and/or V.80, or other suitable standards.

In addition to providing certain visitation and communicationoperations, communication processing system 101 may, in, such as forexample, a correctional facility embodiment, attempt to ensure that aninmate's calls, video conferences, online chats, etc. are performed onlywith non-residents whose identities, devices, email addresses, phonenumbers, etc. are listed in that inmate's Pre-Approved Contact (PAC)list. Each inmate's PAC list may be stored, for example, in database 115maintained by an Administration and Management System (AMS) 116. Inaddition to PAC list(s), AMS 116 may also store inmate or residentprofile data (RPD), as well as visitation rules applicable to eachinmate. As an example, in the context of a correctional facility,database 115 may include information such as balances for inmate trustand calling accounts; trial schedule; conviction data; criminal record;sentencing data, such as time served, time remaining to be served, andrelease date; cell and cellmate assignments; inmate restrictions andwarnings; commissary order history; telephone call history; callrecordings; known or suspected gang or criminal affiliations; known orsuspected affiliates, accomplices, or gang members; and any otherinformation that may be relevant or useful to correctional facilitystaff to house and maintain inmates.

In some embodiments, database 115 may include biometric signatures ofinmates (e.g., voice, facial, iris, fingerprint, etc.) and/or of otherfacility personnel (e.g., correctional officers, staff, etc.). Inaddition, database 115 may include one or more covert surveillance rulesincluding, for example, the times and dates of scheduled covertmonitoring and/or recording, identity of inmates that are the target ofongoing investigations, a maximum threshold number of inmates allowed tobe in different areas within the facility at a given time, etc.

In scenarios where communication system 101 is located within thefacility, it may have direct access to AMS 116. In other embodiments,however, communication system 101 may be located remotely with respectto the controlled-environment facility (or it may have certain elementsdisposed within the facility and other elements disposed remotely withrespect to the facility) and access to AMS 116 may be obtained via acomputer network such as, for example network 110.

Visitation system 130 may be configured to provide, schedule, and managevisitation services to residents and non-residents of acontrolled-environment facility. To that end, visitation system 130 maybe coupled to PSTN 107 and/or network 110 in a manner similar tocommunication processing system 101 by also including one or moreswitches and/or routers (not shown). Accordingly, visitation system 130may be configured to communicate with one or more residents of thecontrolled-environment facility via devices 102 through 104 and with oneor more non-residents via devices 105, 106, 109, 112, and/or 113.Although visitation system 130 is shown in FIG. 1 as being remotelylocated with respect to communication processing system 101 and thecontrolled-environment facility, in other cases visitation system 130may be co-located with the facility and/or integrated within system 101.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of IFD 103. In some embodiments, device 103 may beimplemented as a computer-based system such as described in connectionwith FIG. 7. Also, in some implementations, IFD 103 may be located in apod, which is a separate and self-contained housing unit within acorrectional facility designed to hold a number of inmates (e.g., ˜12 to50 prisoners). A small number of prison officers (e.g., ˜2 or 3), andsometimes a single officer or other facility personnel, supervise eachpod. Each pod may contain tiers of cells arranged around a centralcontrol station or desk from which a single officer can monitor all thecells and the entire pod, control cell doors, and communicate with therest of the inmates. Additionally or alternatively, IFD 103 may bedisposed in a visitation area of the correctional facility. In otherembodiments, IFD 103 may be disposed outside of the correctionalfacility or within a sleeping area, such as in a cell.

As illustrated, device 103 includes display 204, camera 205, and handset201 coupled to device 103 via wire 207. Display 204 may be any suitableelectronic display such as, for example, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD),a touchscreen display (e.g., resistive, capacitive, etc.), or the like,whereas camera 205 may be a suitable imaging device such as, forinstance, a video camera or webcam equipped with Charge-Coupled Devices(CCDs), Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) active pixelsensors, etc. Camera 205 may be infrared sensitive. Some IFDs may employvisible light sources for enabling capture of conventional images and/orvideo. Embodiments of such IFDs and/or IRDs may employ this same lightmodule 206, such as under software control, to selectively control thelight module to emit visible and/or infrared light, in accordance withembodiments of the present systems and methods. Handset 201 may besimilar to a traditional telephone handset including an earpiece portion(with a loudspeaker), a handle portion, and a mouthpiece portion (with amicrophone).

During a video visitation session, IFD 103 may be configured to capturea video image of an inmate to be transmitted to a non-resident usingcamera 205, and to display a video image of the non-resident to theinmate using display 204. An indicator, such as indictor light 209 maylight to indicate that the resident's image is being captured.Additionally or alternatively screen 204 may display an indication thatthe user's image is being recorded or otherwise captured. IFD 103 mayalso be configured to capture an audio signal from the inmate to betransmitted to the non-resident using the mouthpiece portion of handset201, and to provide an audio signal from the non-resident to the inmateusing the earpiece portion of handset 201. Additionally oralternatively, audio received from the non-resident may be reproducedvia loudspeaker 202, and audio provided by the inmate may be capturedvia microphone 203. In some embodiments, handset holder or holster 208may be configured to allow a user to securely rest handset 201 againstdevice 103 (e.g., in the “on hook” position) when device 103 is not inuse. Furthermore, handset holder 208 may include a mechanical orelectromechanical switch or sensor (not shown) that senses when handset201 is not resting against it (e.g. in the “off hook” position).

It should be noted that, outside of correctional facilities, IFD 103 mayassume the form of any computer, tablet computer, smart phone, etc., orany other consumer device or appliance with videoconferencingcapabilities. Meanwhile, in the context of correctional facilities, IFD103 may include one or more tampering/impact resistant or hardenedelements configured to protect them from vandalism or otherwisedestructive acts. For example, one or more of elements 202 through 206may be protected by a transparent plastic or thermoplastic (e.g.,Plexiglas, etc.) material.

IRDs 104 may be tablet computing devices, smartphones, media players, orthe like adapted and/or approved for use by residents of thecontrolled-environment facility (within the controlled-environmentfacility). Each IRD 104 may be particularly adapted for use in acontrolled-environment. For example, such an IRD (or IID) may have aspecially adapted operating system and/or may be “stripped-down,”particularly from the standpoint of what apps and/or hardware areprovided or allowed on IRD 104, and/or connectivity afforded such anIRD. For example, such an IRD may employ an operating system kernel suchone based upon an open source platform such as the CyanogenMod-basedoperating system, which may be built for use in such an IRD in acontrolled-environment facility. As a further example, the IRD may beadapted to only connect to a network provided by thecontrolled-environment facility, and/or in only certain locations,within the controlled-environment facility, such as may be controlled byavailability of Wi-Fi access, or the like, only being available incertain areas. That is, for example, where streaming and/or downloadingmay be compartmentalized, leveraging the structure of thecontrolled-environment facility, for example, limiting the availabilityof a Wi-Fi signal, providing the stream through the placement ofwireless access points, antenna directionality of such wireless accesspoints, and/or the like. Further, the IRD may allow access to apps orcontent only upon application of security measures, by the IRD. Suchsecurity measures may include determining, by the IRD, DNS spoofing, DNSredirection, use of proxy servers for privacy and security, biometricvalidation, password validation, and/or the like. Also, In accordancewith embodiments of the present systems and methods, the IRD may have afew fixed apps pre-installed on the device, and installation of furtherapps on the device may be forbidden (i.e. prevented by modifications tothe device's operating system, or the like) and/or restricted, such asby requiring permission from a facility administrator, or the like. Appsprovided on IRDs might include apps of particular interest to residentsof the controlled-environment facility. For example, IRDs provided toinmates of correctional facilities, might include apps that may be ofparticular use to an inmate, in general, such as access to a legalresearch service, or of more specific interest, such as providing aninmate nearing release, access to employment searching apps or the like.Hence, such inmate IRDs may be used to help soon to be released inmatestransition. For example, the IRD may be used to communicate with afuture employer, or the like. As such, IRDs may be sponsored, orotherwise subsidized by organizations or companies, assisting with thetransition of inmates into society.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of example intelligent residentcommunication and/or media device 104, according to some embodiments ofthe present systems and methods. IRD 104 includes screen 302 one or morehardware buttons 304 and a camera 306. A resident making a phone call ondevice 104 and talking to the called party, using open phone app 308would appreciate that their image is being captured. However, inaccordance with embodiments of the present systems and methods camera306 may be capable of capturing an infrared image of a user or whateverelse is in the camera's line-of-sight. Lighting of a subject during avideo call may be accomplished using visible light from light 310.However, in accordance with embodiments of the present systems andmethods, this light may be tunable to emit (nonvisible) infrared lightand/or may include one or more infrared elements, such as infrared LEDs.Alternatively or additionally, a second light source 312 (such asillustrated around camera 306) may provide (nonvisible) infraredlighting.

As will be appreciated, IFD 103, IRD 104, or other similar devices havevideo conferencing capabilities, or the like, to enable a party toparticipate in video communication sessions with other call parties,such as non-residents of the controlled-environment facility, via videocommunication, secure online chat, etc.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example of communication device software300. In some embodiments, software 400 may be executed, at least inpart, by communication device 103 shown in FIG. 2 and/or IRD 104 shownin FIG. 3. As illustrated, software 400 may include communication engine401, camera/video capture interface module 402, microphone/audio captureinterface module 403, handset sensor module 404, display module 405 andloudspeaker module 406. Other modules not shown in FIG. 4 for sake ofbrevity may include, but are not limited to, a user interface module(configured to allow a user to interact with software 400 and/orvisitation system 130) and an AMS interface (configured to allowsoftware 400 to access information stored in database 115).

In various embodiments, communication engine 401 may be configured toperform communication and/or visitation operations such as, for example,authenticate the identity of an inmate and exchange one or more messageswith communication system 101, visitation system 130, and or devices 112or 113 over network 110 to initiate an inmate communication session.During an inmate communication session, engine 401 may utilizecamera/video capture interface module 402 and/or microphone/audiocapture interface module 403 to provide the non-resident with videoand/or audio captured from the inmate. Display module 405 and/orloudspeaker module 406 may be configured to provide an inmate with videoand/or audio produced by a non-resident during the inmate communicationsession. Meanwhile, handset sensor 404 may include a touch sensor, aheat sensor, or a biometric sensor configured to physically detectpresence of an inmate operating device 103 or 104.

Covert surveillance module 407 may be configured to perform one or moreoperations for covertly monitoring and/or recording of images and/orvideo (and in some embodiments audio) as described in detail inconnection with the example implementation shown in FIGS. 5 and 6,discussed below. Covert surveillance module 407 may also monitor and/orrecord keystrokes or other user input received via a communicationdevice's touch screen. In some cases, covert surveillance module 407 maybe implemented, at least in part, in device 103 or 104. Additionally oralternatively, covert surveillance module 407 may be implemented, atleast in part, by communications system 101.

In certain embodiments, each of the different components ofcommunication device software 400 may be implemented in software,hardware or a suitable combination thereof, in an integrated fashion(e.g., on a single server or computer system) or in a distributedfashion (e.g., via a number of discrete systems configured tocommunicate with one another via a network). Additionally oralternatively, the operation of visitation software 400 may bepartitioned into components in a different fashion than illustrated inFIG. 4.

Referring back to FIG. 1, IFDs 103, IRDs 104 (as well as othercommunication devices 102) have traditionally been used only forfacilitating inmate communications, and not for covert monitoring and/orrecording of images and/or video. In other words, although IFDs 103 andIRDs 104 are configured to capture images and/or video from an inmateduring an inmate's communication, the inmate is aware of such capturingbecause, after all, the ongoing communication is enabled by that verydevice. Also, as noted, in some cases, IFD 103 or IRD 104 may provide anexplicit indication that audio and/or video are being captured (e.g., anaudio cue, a message on a display (204 or 302), a record light (209 or310), etc.). Before an actual communication begins, and/or after thecommunication ends, however, IFDs 103 or IRDs 104 do not typicallycapture audio and/or video at other times unless invoked to do so by auser.

In contrast with the foregoing, in some embodiments described herein,communication system 101 and/or communication devices 103 or 104 may beconfigured to covertly monitor and/or record images and/or video usingcommunication devices 103 or 104 in a manner that is hidden or concealedfrom residents of the controlled-environment facility, for example,through operation of covert surveillance module 407. In some cases,monitoring and/or recording activities may occur, at least in part,prior to a communication device being used to start an inmatecommunication session and/or after the communication has ended, and/orwithout providing an indication to the residents that audio and/or videoare being captured.

Hence, in accordance with embodiments of the present systems andmethods, controlled-environment facility resident communication and/ormedia devices, such as IFDs 103 and/or IRDs 104 may, as noted, bedisposed within a controlled-environment facility, and may include atleast one processor and a memory coupled to the processor(s). Programinstructions associated therewith are executable by the processor(s) toenable a resident communication involving one or more residents of thecontrolled-environment facility, as described above.Controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice 103 or 104, as noted, is typically configured to provide a visualindication to the resident(s) that an image and/or video is beingcaptured during the communication, such as via indicator 209 or 310. Inaccordance with embodiments of the present systems and methods, aninfrared light image and/or video of one or more residents of thecontrolled-environment facility may be captured, while thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice is not being used in any sort of resident communication andwithout providing the visual indication. In further embodiments,controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice 103 or 104 may include an infrared light source, for example as apart of aforementioned light module 206 or 310. In such embodiments,device 103 or 104 may turn on the infrared light source to capture theinfrared light image and/or video of the resident(s). Such use of aninfrared light source in conjunction with infrared sensitive cameras mayrender “night vision” type images, still and/or moving images.

Further, such infrared sensitive IFD and/or IRD cameras 205 or 306 maybe used without an added infrared light source. Such use of the infraredsensitive IFD and/or IRD cameras may be of the nature of an infraredsensor. For example such use may, such as in a “bed check” scenario maybe able to detect the presence of appropriately sized and shaped heatsignatures in the appropriate bed(s) or the like, rather than capturingactual images or video. For example, controlled-environment facilityresident communication and/or media devices 103 and/or 104 may belocated in a resident sleeping area or unit of the controlledenvironment facility, such in a correctional environment in an inmatecell. In such embodiments, a bed check may be performed by device 103 or104, by the device confirming the presence of a heat signatureindicative of a resident in each bed expected to be occupied in thesleeping area or unit. Additionally or alternativelycontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice 103 or 104 may present the captures infrared image and/or a videofor review by an entity associated with the controlled-environmentfacility. Such entities may include facility personnel, facilityadministration system 116, or the like.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of example implementation 500 for covert infraredmonitoring and recording of images and video in controlled-environmentfacilities, according to some embodiments. Therein, it may be determinedat 502 whether a controlled-environment facility resident communicationand/or media device disposed within the controlled-environment facilityis being used in any communication session. If not, at 504 anycontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice recording indicator and/or may be disabled. At 506 if available,and necessary for capturing infrared images or video using thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice, infrared light source(s) on the controlled-environment facilityresident communication and/or media device may be turned on. At 508 animage and/or a video of one or more residents of thecontrolled-environment facility may be captured using an imaging deviceof the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/ormedia device, wherein the imaging device is capable of operation with aninfrared light source. Also during the capturing at 508, the electronicdisplay (204 or 302) of the controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device does not provide any visual indicationthat the capturing is taking place. The captured infrared light imageand/or video may be stored at 510 and/or presented for review by anentity associated with the controlled-environment facility at 512. Asnoted such an entity associated with the controlled-environmentfacility, may be facility personnel, a facility administration system(116), or the like.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of example implementation 600 for performing(covert) bed checks using infrared monitoring and/or recording of imagesand video in controlled-environment facilities, according to someembodiments. At 602 an image and/or a video of a bed of one or moreresidents of the controlled-environment facility may be captured usingan imaging device of the controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device located in a resident sleeping area orunit of the controlled environment facility. For example, in acorrection institution where the resident(s) are inmate(s), thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice may be located in a pod or cell within the correctional facility.This controlled-environment facility communication and/or media deviceimaging device is, in accordance with embodiments of the present systemsand methods, capable of operation with an infrared light source.

At 604 a bed check may be performed by the controlled-environmentfacility resident communication and/or media device, such as bydetermining whether a heat signature indicative of a person is presentin the bed. Step 604 may encompass more than one bed and one heatsignature in the sleeping unit and/or may be repeated for each bed inthe sleeping area or unit. Regardless, at 606 an entity associated withthe controlled-environment facility may be alerted if less than anexpected number of residents are in the beds of the sleeping area orunit. Hence, embodiments of the present systems and methods may “look”for bodies using heat signatures. For example, at say 9:00 pm, aresident is not in a monitored bed, an alert will sound; and/orembodiments of the present systems and methods may “know” how manypeople are supposed to be in each correctional facility cell, or thelike, and if there were less than the right amount, the system wouldsend an alert.

Additionally or alternatively, at 608 the infrared image or video may bepresented for review by an entity associated with thecontrolled-environment facility, such as to facility personnel, afacility administration system (116), or the like, and at 610 the entityassociated with the controlled-environment facility may perform the bedcheck using the presented image, such as by determining whether a heatsignature indicative of a person is present in the bed.

Embodiments of systems and methods for covertly monitoring and/orrecording of images and/or video in controlled-environment facilitiesusing infrared imaging, as described herein, may be implemented orexecuted by one or more computer systems. One such computer system isillustrated in FIG. 7. In various embodiments, computer system 700 maybe a server, a mainframe computer system, a workstation, a networkcomputer, a desktop computer, a laptop, or the like. For example, insome cases, blocks 101, 116, or 130, shown in FIG. 1 may includecomputer system 300. Moreover, communication devices 103-105, 112, and113 may be implemented as computer system 300. As explained above, indifferent embodiments these various computer systems may be configuredto communicate with each other in any suitable way, such as, forexample, via network 110.

As illustrated, computer system 700 includes one or more processors710A-N coupled to a system memory 720 via bus 730. Computer system 700further includes a network interface 740 coupled to bus 730, and one ormore I/O controllers 750, which in turn are coupled to peripheraldevices such as cursor control device 760, keyboard 770, display(s) 780,etc. Each of I/O devices 760-780 may be capable of communicating withI/O controllers 750, for example, via a wired connection (e.g., serialport, Universal Serial Bus port) or wireless connection (e.g., Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, Near Field Communications Link, etc.) Other devices mayinclude, for example, surveillance cameras, microphones,antennas/wireless transducers, phone detection modules, etc.

In various embodiments, computer system 700 may be a single-processorsystem including one processor 710A, or a multi-processor systemincluding two or more processors 710A-N (e.g., two, four, eight, oranother suitable number). Processors 710 may be any processor capable ofexecuting program instructions. For example, in various embodiments,processors 710 may be general-purpose or embedded processorsimplementing any of a variety of instruction set architectures (ISAs),such as the x86, PowerPC®, ARM®, SPARC®, or MIPS® ISAs, or any othersuitable ISA. In multi-processor systems, each of processors 710 maycommonly, but not necessarily, implement the same ISA. Also, in someembodiments, at least one processor 710 may be a graphics processingunit (GPU) or other dedicated graphics-rendering device.

System memory 720 may be configured to store program instructions and/ordata accessible by processor 710. In various embodiments, system memory720 may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, such asstatic random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM),nonvolatile/Flash-type memory, or any other type of memory. Asillustrated, program instructions and data implementing certainoperations such as those described herein may be stored within systemmemory 720 as program instructions 725 and data storage 735,respectively. In other embodiments, program instructions and/or data maybe received, sent or stored upon different types of computer-accessiblemedia or on similar media separate from system memory 720 or computersystem 700.

Generally speaking, a computer-accessible medium may include anytangible or non-transitory storage media or memory media such aselectronic, magnetic, or optical media—e.g., disk or CD/DVD-ROM coupledto computer system 700 via bus 730. The terms “tangible” and“non-transitory,” as used herein, are intended to describe acomputer-readable storage medium (or “memory”) excluding propagatingelectromagnetic signals, but are not intended to otherwise limit thetype of physical computer-readable storage device that is encompassed bythe phrase computer-readable medium or memory. For instance, the terms“non-transitory computer-readable medium” or “tangible memory” areintended to encompass types of storage devices that do not necessarilystore information permanently, including for example, random accessmemory (RAM). Program instructions and data stored on a tangiblecomputer-accessible storage medium in non-transitory form may further betransmitted by transmission media or signals such as electrical,electromagnetic, or digital signals, which may be conveyed via acommunication medium such as a network and/or a wireless link.

In an embodiment, bus 730 may be configured to coordinate I/O trafficbetween processor 710, system memory 720, and any peripheral devices inthe device, including network interface 740 or other peripheralinterfaces, such as input/output devices 750. In some embodiments, bus730 may perform any necessary protocol, timing or other datatransformations to convert data signals from one component (e.g., systemmemory 720) into a format suitable for use by another component (e.g.,processor 710). In some embodiments, bus 730 may include support fordevices attached through various types of peripheral buses, such as avariant of the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus standard orthe Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard, for example. In someembodiments, the function of bus 730 may be split into two or moreseparate components, such as a northbridge chipset and a southbridgechipset, for example. In addition, in some embodiments some or all ofthe functionality of bus 730, such as an interface to system memory 720,may be incorporated directly into processor(s) 710A-N.

Network interface 740 may be configured to allow data to be exchangedbetween computer system 700 and other devices attached to a network,such as other computer systems, or between nodes of computer system 700.In various embodiments, network interface 740 may support communicationvia wired or wireless general data networks, such as any suitable typeof Ethernet network, for example; via telecommunications/telephonynetworks such as analog voice networks or digital fiber communicationsnetworks; via storage area networks such as Fibre Channel SANs, or viaany other suitable type of network and/or protocol.

I/O controllers 750 may, in some embodiments, enable communications withone or more display terminals, keyboards, keypads, touchpads, scanningdevices, voice or optical recognition devices, mobile devices, or anyother devices suitable for entering or retrieving data by one or morecomputer system 700. Multiple I/O controllers 750 may be present incomputer system 700 or may be distributed on various nodes of computersystem 700. In some embodiments, I/O devices may be separate fromcomputer system 700 and may interact with one or more nodes of computersystem 700 through a wired or wireless connection, such as over networkinterface 740.

As shown in FIG. 7, memory 720 may include program instructions 725,configured to implement certain embodiments described herein, and datastorage 735, comprising various data may be accessible by programinstructions 725. In an embodiment, program instructions 725 may includesoftware elements shown in FIG. 3, which may be configured to effect theoperations shown in FIG. 5. Program instructions 725 may be implementedin various embodiments using any desired programming language, scriptinglanguage, or combination of programming languages and/or scriptinglanguages (e.g., C, C++, C#, Java™, JavaScript™, Perl, etc.). Datastorage 735 may include data that may be used in these embodiments(e.g., recorded communications, profiles for different modes ofoperations, etc.). In other embodiments, other or different softwareelements and data may be included.

A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that computersystem 700 is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scopeof the disclosure described herein. In particular, the computer systemand devices may include any combination of hardware or software that canperform the indicated operations. In addition, the operations performedby the illustrated components may, in some embodiments, be performed byfewer components or distributed across additional components. Similarly,in other embodiments, the operations of some of the illustratedcomponents may not be provided and/or other additional operations may beavailable. Accordingly, systems and methods described herein may beimplemented or executed with other computer system configurations.

The various systems and methods illustrated in the figures and describedherein represent example embodiments of systems and methods for covertmonitoring and recording of audio and video in controlled-environmentfacilities. These techniques may be implemented in software, hardware,or a combination thereof. The order in which each operation of a givenmethod is performed may be changed, and various elements of the systemsillustrated herein may be added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified,etc. Various modifications and changes may be made as would be clear toa person of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of thisspecification. It is intended that the invention(s) described hereinembrace all such modifications and changes and, accordingly, the abovedescription should be regarded in an illustrative rather than arestrictive sense.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, thescope of the present application is not intended to be limited to theparticular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, compositionof matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. Asone of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from thedisclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing orlater to be developed that perform substantially the same function orachieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodimentsdescribed herein may be utilized according to the present invention.Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within theirscope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods, or steps.

What is claimed is:
 1. A controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device disposed within acontrolled-environment facility, the controlled-environment facilityresident communication and/or media device comprising: at least oneprocessor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor, thememory configured to store program instructions executable by the atleast one processor to cause the controlled-environment facilityresident communication and/or media device to: capture an infrared lightimage and/or infrared light video of one or more residents of thecontrolled-environment facility perform a bed check by confirming thepresence of a heat signature indicative of a resident in a bed in thesleeping area or unit; and alert an entity associated with thecontrolled-environment facility if there are fewer than an expectednumber of residents in the beds.
 2. The controlled-environment facilityresident communication and/or media device of claim 1, furthercomprising at least one infrared light source, and wherein the programinstructions are further executable by the at least one processor tocause the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/ormedia device to turn on the infrared light source to capture an infraredlight image and/or infrared light video of one or more residents.
 3. Thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are furtherexecutable by the at least one processor to cause thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice to: present the infrared light image and/or infrared light videofor review by an entity associated with the controlled-environmentfacility.
 4. The controlled-environment facility resident communicationand/or media device of claim 1, wherein the controlled-environmentfacility resident communication and/or media device is a videovisitation device.
 5. The controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device of claim 1, wherein thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice is a personal resident communication and/or media device.
 6. Amethod for covertly monitoring residents of a controlled-environmentfacility, the method comprising: capturing an infrared image and/orinfrared light video of one or more residents of acontrolled-environment facility using an imaging device of acontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice disposed within a resident sleeping area or unit of thecontrolled-environment facility; performing a bed check by thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice, using the infrared image and/or infrared light video, confirminga presence or absence of residents in the sleeping area or unit; andalerting an entity associated with the controlled-environment facilityif there are fewer than an expected number of residents in the residentsleeping area or unit.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or moreresidents are inmates, and wherein the controlled-environment facilityis a correctional facility, and the controlled-environment facilityresident communication and/or media device is located in a pod or cellwithin the correctional facility.
 8. The method of claim 6, whereinperforming the bed check further comprises confirming a presence orabsence of a heat signature indicative of a resident in the sleepingarea or unit.
 9. The method of claim 6, further comprising turning on atleast one infrared light source on the controlled-environment facilityresident communication and/or media device for capturing the infraredimage and/or infrared light video using the imaging device.
 10. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device is a video visitation device.
 11. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device is a personal resident communicationsand/or media device.
 12. The method of claim 6, wherein the entityassociated with the controlled-environment facility is one or morepersonnel of the facility or a facility administration system.
 13. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device includes a recording indicator, andduring the capturing the recording indicator does not provide anindication that the capturing is taking place.
 14. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium having program instructions storedthereon that, upon execution by a controlled-environment facilityresident communication and/or media device disposed within a residentsleeping area or unit of a controlled-environment facility, cause thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice to: capture an image and/or video of one or more residents of thecontrolled-environment facility using infrared imaging of thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice; perform a bed check by confirming presence of a number ofexpected number of residents in the sleeping area or unit; and alert anentity associated with the controlled-environment facility if theexpected number of residents are not present.
 15. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the programinstructions stored thereon are further executable to cause thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice to store the image and/or video and/or present the image and/orvideo for review by an entity associated with the controlled-environmentfacility.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 14, wherein the program instructions stored thereon are furtherexecutable to cause the controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device to perform the bed check by confirmingpresence of a number of expected heat signatures indicative of theexpected number of residents in the sleeping area or unit.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein theprogram instructions stored thereon are further executable to cause thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice to turn on at least one infrared light source on thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice for capturing the image and/or video using an imaging device ofthe controlled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice.
 18. The controlled-environment facility resident communicationand/or media device of claim 1, wherein the program instructions arefurther executable by the at least one processor to cause thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice to capture the infrared light image and/or infrared light videowhile the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/ormedia device is not being used in a resident communication.
 19. Thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are furtherexecutable by the at least one processor to cause thecontrolled-environment facility resident communication and/or mediadevice to capture the infrared light image and/or infrared light videowithout providing a visual indication.
 20. The method of claim 6,further comprising storing the infrared image and/or infrared lightvideo and/or presenting the infrared image and/or infrared light videofor review by an entity associated with the controlled-environmentfacility.
 21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 14, wherein the program instructions stored thereon are furtherexecutable to cause the controlled-environment facility residentcommunication and/or media device to capture the image and/or videowhile the controlled-environment facility resident communication and/ormedia device is not being used in a resident communication.
 22. Themethod of claim 6 wherein capturing of the infrared image and/orinfrared light video is carried out when the controlled-environmentfacility resident communication and/or media device is not being used ina resident communication.